One of the coolest aspects of Mat Ishbia buying the Phoenix Suns is the fact it came as a package deal with the WNBA franchise Mercury. A team who made it all the way to the WNBA Finals last season.
It has taken the owner some time (and missteps) to get the Suns aligned, while the Mercury came much closer to contention. General Manager Nick U'Ren a large part of the reason why, but that almost changed in an instant this offseason.
U'Ren was finalist for top job with the Philadelphia 76ers
Having been with the Mercury since 2023, U'Ren made it down to the final two candidates for the GM post with the 76ers in the wake of Daryl Morey being canned. A position that ultimately went to Mike Gansey, in what is a massive boost for basketball in The Valley.
The synergy Ishbia has spoken about having with the Suns also includes their sister franchise in the Mercury, as the ability to share talent and successful ways of conducting business will only benefit both. The Suns need as much of that as they can get, and U'Ren being tapped up by the 76ers proves he is highly thought of throughout the league.
Former Golden State Warriors' GM Bob Myers helping the 76ers in their quest, and it is no coincidence that he used to work with U'Ren in San Francisco. Myers oversaw incredible success out there, and to think U'Ren could do the job there is another bow in the cap for the Mercury.
Perhaps having such an ideal candidate in Phoenix played into Ishbia hiring a first time GM himself in Brian Gregory. Like head coach Jordan Ott he has ties to Michigan, and had U'Ren not figured into the long-term planning for both teams then Ishbia surely would have had no problem getting rid of them.
With the Suns having few ways to seriously improve their roster for the rest of this decade (and the new NBA Draft Lottery rules have only made that harder), gaining an edge on the sideline and in their offices is one way they can get better.
We've seen proof of this in how the Suns have been able to cleverly improve their roster around the fringes, while coach Ott finished top five in Coach of the Year voting. Keeping U'Ren ensures that success and consistency continues, making this a much bigger deal than fans think.
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